The Independent published on 30 January 2026 an article titled "How UK Aid Cuts Help China Win the Battle for Hearts and Minds in Africa" by Dani Madrid-Morales, University of Sheffield.
The British and American retreat from Africa is being cleverly exploited by China to win the hearts and minds of Africans. Much of China's success is due to its all-out effort to dominate the media domain in Africa as Western outlets pull back.
The China-Global South Project posted on 15 September 2025 a commentary titled "China Launches Coordinated Media Campaign to Promote New Global Governance Initiative in Africa" by Eric Olander.
Chinese state media and surrogates have launched a media campaign in Africa to promote China's Global Governance Initiative (GGI) across the continent. The goal is to propagandize the GGI to the widest possible African audience.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has posted a "Concept Paper on the Global Governance Initiative."
Comment: The GGI is part of China's effort to seize leadership, especially in the Global South, from the West of the basic guiding principles of governance.
The blog for the SOAS China Institute at the University of London published on 30 July 2025 a commentary titled "How China Is Reshaping Africa's Information and Media Landscape" by Daouda Cisse, Gaston Berger University in Senegal.
Chinese state media outlets like CGTN, Xinhua, and China Daily are now common features in African media spaces. Beijing is helping to reshape Africa's media and governance landscape. The issue becomes how African governments can benefit without compromising press freedom, data privacy, or democratic values.
Kenya's The Star published on 17 July 2025 an article titled "The Star Signs Content Sharing Deal with China Daily Africa" by Eliud Kibii.
China Daily, which is controlled by the Communist Party of China, signed a deal with Kenya's The Star to share content. Once a week, The Star with average daily circulation of 100,000 will include an insert prepared by China Daily. The editorial director of The Star's parent company said, "China is a major geopolitical player, and we're glad to be part of telling its story in Africa."
The Diplomat published on 23 October 2024 a commentary titled "China's Battle for Narratives in Africa" by Samir Bhattacharya and Yuvvraj Singh, both with India's Observer Research Foundation.
China has built narratives to its advantage in Africa, a region that has increasingly become a theater of great power rivalry. China's information strategy in Africa consists of three parts. First, it hosts and trains numerous African media professionals each year, teaching them to promote Chinese investments as a positive force. Second, China invests in local African media outlets, influencing their editorial practices to align with the Chinese narrative. Third, China sells technology to African governments that enables tighter control over digital information, including blocking websites and shutting down internet access.
The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published on 16 April 2024 an analysis titled "China's Strategy to Shape Africa's Media Space" by Paul Nantulya.
The author describes a global strategy by the Communist Party of China (CPC) to gain influence in developing countries by shaping their information environments. This raises concerns about the effect that China's heavy media penetration is having on shaping public perceptions in ways that promote Chinese interests even when they undermine African citizen interests.
Thousands of African journalists participate annually in media exchanges in China. Money is the key; Chinese media entities support many African media houses struggling with poor equipment, low salaries, and tight budgets. Nevertheless, the author concludes the effectiveness of Chinese messaging is mixed.
Japan Forward published on 8 June 2022 an article titled "'Manage the Globe': China Funds African Media, Digital Space for Direct Influence" by Monika Chansoria.
The article summarizes China's efforts to manage media messaging in Africa by investing in government run radio, television, and print media and training African journalists.
The New York Times published on 11 April 2022 an article titled "China's Echoes of Russia's Alternate Reality Intensify Around the World" by Paul Mozur, Steven Lee Myers, and John Liu.
Government-controlled Chinese media are making a special effort to disseminate Russian propaganda and falsehoods about the war in Ukraine to audiences around the world, including Africa.
